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(No Model.) 2 Sheets- Sheet 1. J. G. HERNANDEZ. MACHINE FOR DEOORTIGATING FIBROUS PLANTS.

Patented Feb. 24,1891.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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A TTORNE Y8 J. G. HERNANDEZ. MACHINE FOR DEGORTIOATING FIBROUS PLANTS.

No. 447,152. Patented Feb. 24,1891.

UNITED STATES ATENT rrrcn.

J OSE GARCIA HERNANDEZ, OF HAVANA, CUBA.

MACHINE FOR DECORTICATING FIBROUS PLANTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 447,152, dated February 24, 1891.

Application filed May 2, 1890. Se1ialN0.350,374=. (1T0 model.)

To all whom it may concern.--

Be it known that I, Josf: GARCIA HERNAN- DEZ, of Havana, Cuba, have inventeda new and Improved Machine for Decorticating F1- brous Plants, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved decorticatin g -mach 1ne which is simple and durable in construction, very effective in operation, and adapted for breaking ramie, jute, hemp, or other simllar fibrous plants in such a manner that the fiber is left clean of any ligneous or woody matter, and at the same time the fiber'is rendered very smooth,tl1e exterior pelicle or film being to a great extent removed.

The invention consists of a reciprocating double knife operating in conj unotion with a fixed and a yieldingly-mounted presser-bar.

I The invention also consists in certaln parts and details and combinations of the same, as willbe described hereinafter, and thenpointed 'out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a front view of my improved machine with parts broken out. Fig. 2 1s a sectional side elevation of the same on the line m 00 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the mechanism for actuating the feeding devices. Fig. f is a face view of a modified form of the cam for operating the yielding presser-bar, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of part of the improvement.

The improved decorticating-machlne 1s provided'with a suitably constructed frame A, supporting in its rear a table B, on which the material to be treated is placed to be fed to the feeding-rollers O and D, arranged one above the other and at the front end of the said table B. The feeding-rollers O and D are journaled in the sides of the main frame A and are connected with each other by gear- Wheels E and E, so that when a rotary motion is imparted to one of the rollers the other rotates with it.

On the outer end of the lower roller 0 1s arranged a ratchet-wheel F, engaged by a springpressed pawl'G, pivoted on a lever H, loosely fulcrumed on the shaft of the said roller (3. The outer end of lever H has a lengthwise slot H. An arm J is fixed on one end of the shaft K, which has its bearings in the upper part of frame A. The arm J is likewise provided with a slot J and is connected by a bolt or pin I with said lever 11, asv shown-that is to say, the bolt I is clamped by a nut at any desired point in the slot of arm J and slides freely in the slot of lever H. It is therefore a crank or wrist pin for the latter. The shaft K has a fast pulley K and loose pulley K respectively, connected in the usual manner with suitable ma'chineryfor imparting a rotary motion to the said driving-shaft K. On the latter is also secured a suitable fly-wheel K hen the shaft K is rotated, the arm J imparts a swinging motion to the lever 11, which in its forward stroke imparts, by the pawl G, motion to the ratchet-wheel F, and consequently to the feed-roller O, which operates the other feed-roller D. 011 the return-stroke of the lever H the two feed-rollers remain stationary. The throw given by the pawl G to the ratchet-wheel F can be varied by adjusting the pivot-pinI in the slot J of the arm J, so that the material may be fed a greater or less distance, as desired. On the main driving-shaft K are also arranged the crank-arms K pivotaliy connected with links L, extending downward and pivotally connected with a rectangular frame N, having its ends fitted to slide vertically in slots A, arranged in the sides of the main frame A. On the top and the bottom bars of the rectangular frame N are secured theknives O and 0', held transversely adjustable on the side bars by means of screws, as shown. The knives O and 0 have opposite cutting edges, as is plainly shown in Fig. 2,the bevel of the cutting-edge of the knife 0 extending upward, while that presser-bar Q, similar in shape to the fixed Presser-bar and provided on its ends with upwardly-extending arms Q, fitted against the inner surfaces of the sides of the main frame A, and each provided with vertically-arranged slots Q through which pass bolts Q screwing in the sides of the main frame.

011 the upper end of each arm Q, is arranged a projection Q adapted to be engaged by a cam R, which may be single, as shown in Fig. 2, or double, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the said cam being secured on the drivingshaft K. Against the underside of each arm Q" presses a coiled spring Q, coiled around the rod Q extending from the arm Q downward through a suitable bearing Q formed on each of the sides of the main frame A. The springs Q serve to hold the presser-bar Q in an uppermost position, the upward movement being limited by the arms Q resting against the peripheries of the cams R. hen the main shaft K is rotated, the said cams R, acting on the arms Q", press the latter down- W3,1(l, and consequently impart a vertical sliding motion to the presser-bar Q, being vertically guided by the bolts Q passing through the slots Q of the said arms Q, supporting the said presser-bar.

Above the table B is arranged a transverse board S slightly inclined and serving to prevent the material from passing over the roller D. The presser-bar P serves also as a guide to the roller 0 in order to prevent the material from taking any other direction than that conducting directly to the knives; and as the presser-bar Q is movable its thickness will be reduced somewhat, so as to adapt a fixed guide T (see Fig. 5) between the same and the rollers G and D, in order to force the material to take its way right through the knives.

The operation is as follows: \Vhen the main driving-shaft K is set in motion, a reciprocating motion is imparted to the knives O and 0', held in the knife-frame N so that the cutting-edges of the two knives alternately pass the opening made between the presser-bars P and O. The ramie, jute, hemp, or other analogous material is placed by the operator on the table 13 and shoved between the two rollers G and D, which on the forward stroke of the lever H are rotated to feed the material between and past the presser-bars P and Q into the opening formed between the two knives O and 0. When the lever H is 011 the return-stroke, the feeding ceases, and then the cams R press the presser Q downward onto the material so as to clamp the latter in place. Then the knife 0 descends, and by its cuttin gedge passing onto the material breaks the latter, and at the upward stroke the lower knife 0' acts against the underside of the material and cleans the latter from the woody portion broken by the knife 0. \Vhen the knifeframeN again commences to move downward and the presser Q is in its uppermost position, caused by the action of the springs Q, then the lever II is on its forward stroke and turns the rollers C and D so as to feed the material forward again. As soon as the lever I'l commences its return-stroke the movable presser-bar Q, clamps the material again and the knives O and O operate on the material on the downward and upward stroke, as previously described.

It will be seen that as the decorticated portion of the material when passing out of the machine is resting on the dull edge of the lower knife 0', while the remainder portion of the material is not yet broken, but clamped by the bars P and Q and the rollers C and D, the ligneous part, that although loosened could perhaps still remain mingled within the decorticated part of the material, is separated by the friction and agitation of the reciprocating knives O and O in their rapid up-anddown movement.

The rollers G and D are made smooth, and are preferably of rubber, so as not to press or break the material, thereby preventing the woody portions from becoming like leather and less breakable after being crushed, as is the ease in machines as at present constructed.

The limit attained by both the cuttingedges of the knives O and O on their upward and downward strokes. respectively, in passing the front faces of the bars Pand Q should not be less than the forward movement of the material, so that the knives in passing the bars strip off by friction the pellicle. The knives O and O are transversely adjustable in order to be enabled to graduate, as needed, the space between the knives and the front faces of the bars P and Q without touching the frame N, thus being able to adjust the same in case the space should be too narrow and in breaking the ligneous part to avoid also the cutting of the fiber. By removing the transversely-adjustable knives O and O on frame N they can be exactly graduated, so as to break indefectibly the ligneous part, preventing at the same time its interference between the knives O and O and the faces of the bars P and Q.

It will be seen that this machine is very simple in construction and dispenses with all grooved rollers and breakers previously employed in machines of this kind. In breaking the material in small fragments this machine not only leaves the fiber clean of the ligneous parts and to a great extent without the exterior pellicle, but also works as a cleaning and smoothing machine for the fibers, which when dried are preferably passed through the machine a second time, so as to obtain a first class product.

In this machine the material may be fed to the rollers C and D with the leaves and buds on, thus dispensing with the difficult and expensive operation of stripping off the leaves previous to passing the material into the machine.

It will further be understood that there is no loss of material whatever, as all the stems of all sizes must infallibly pass between the rollers C and D to the bars P and Q and the knives O and O to be treated, as above described.

It will further be seen that the machine operates, no matterin which direction the shaft K is rotated. By this machine the drying of the fibers is facilitated on account of the removal of the pellicle, as in this way the fiber is more directly exposed to the influence of the drier.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a decorticating-maehine, the combination, with reciprocating 'double knives, of a fixed presser-bar and a movable presser-bar arranged in the rear of the said knives and in line with the same, and means for operating said bar, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a decorticating-machine, the combination, with reciprocating double knives, of a fixed presser-bar and a movable presserbar arranged in the rear of the said knives and in line with the same, and means for operating said bar, and feed-rollers having an intermittent rotary motion and serving to feed the material to the said bars and knives, and means for intermittingly rotating said rollers, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a decortieating-machine, the combination, with reciprocating double knives, of a fixed presser-bar and a movable presserbar arranged in the rear of the said knives and in line with the same, feed-rollers having an intermittent rotary motion and serving to feed the material to the said bars and knives, and means, substantially as described, for intermittingly rotating said rollers and forimbar arranged above the said fixed presser-bar and adapted to clamp the material on the said fixed'presser-bar while the knives operateon the material, and means for operating said bar, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a decorticating-machine, the combination, with a knife-frame having a reciproeating motion and knives secured on opposite bars of the said frame, of a fixed presser-bar arranged in the rear of the said frame in line with the said knives, a movable presser-bar arranged above the said fixed presser-bar and adapted to clamp the material on the said fixed resser-bar while the knives operate on the material, and means, substantially as described, for imparting a reciprocating motion to the said knife-frameand a downward motion to the said movable presser-bar, substantially as shown and described.

6. In a decorticating-maehine, the combination, with a knife-frame having a reciproeating motion and knives secured on opposite bars of the said frame, of a fixed presser-bar arranged in the rear of the said frameinline with the said knives, a movable presser-bar arranged above the said fixed presser-bar and adapted to clamp the material on the-said fixed presser-bar while the knives operate on the material, means, substantially as described, for impartinga reciprocating motion to the said knife-frame and a downward mo tion to the said movable presser-bar, and.

springs for raising the said presser-bar, sub

JosE GARCIA HERNANDEZ. \Vitnesses:

JosEPH A. SPRINGER, JORGE D. ALBERTINI. 

